The Lady Cougars took on The Howard School Hawks on Wednesday afternoon. They played a good match but unfortunately did not get the win this time. This match has lit a fire of desire to keep on working and moving ahead. It has also provided a road map of areas for improvement and work.
The first set was a tough start for the Lady Cougars. While co-captain Bethany Lingle had three consecutive serves this set, the team overall struggled with their serves. They lacked hustle and when they did finally begin to gel, it was too late to regain momentum. Howard took it 9-25.
The Lady Cougars came out strong in set 2, serving improved and they covered the court with new determination and speed. Junior Esther Buckingham served up a storm with 5 consecutive serves and 3 aces. Even when called out by the Hawks about her serving technique, Esther adjusted and did not miss one serve. 7th grader Grace Williams made strong passes against the tough serving from the Hawks. She consistently placed balls on the Hawk’s back court, helping to gain momentum in the game. In addition to continually encouraging the team, co-captain Alecta Feely provided hustle and passing support that helped the team to push ahead. Freshman Natalia Hoeve and sophomore Erin McNeal came off the bench to provide depth and strength to our passing game, this was key in the set. The ladies really moved and followed through on the court. They came so close (I repeat SO CLOSE), they were within striking distance of the win, but the Hawks took the set, 26-28.
Set 3 began with a steady and strong Cougar lead. Esther again took the serving advantage – remember she was called out in set 2 about her technique. She did not allow this to dampen her fire, she served like a champ with 6 consecutive serves. Senior Jordan McGuffy dropped a perfect ace right across the net, helping to secure an early lead for the Cougars. Grace, Esther and senior Brandy Michelle Finnell all placed tactical returns into the deep back court, earning both points and return of serve. The Lady Cougars really perked up and followed through with their heart in it, but it wasn’t quite enough. The Hawks took this set, 20-25.
This team has come so far, the coaches are confident in the strides ahead we will see in the coming weeks of the season. We hope you will come out to support and cheer them on as they take on Brandon Hall on Thursday afternoon at the Cougar Center, game time is 3:30pm. And don’t forget, you can follow up the game with a delicious and easy dinner at Lucky’s Burger in Roswell. A portion of all proceeds on Thursday evening after 4pm will benefit TCS. Get Lucky for dinner tomorrow and Go Lady Cougars!
